What did you use your Mule Team for last?

[xceptnl]

Late night snack.

I missed the initial drop and discussions of the HIC Mule. Do you use yours outside of the kitchen? Would you care to elaborate if so?

[VandymanG]

Late night snack.

I missed the initial drop and discussions of the HIC Mule. Do you use yours outside of the kitchen? Would you care to elaborate if so?

Being a ceramic knife I waited early on to see what others did. It seemed that those that tried to use the HIC mule as a regular mule or EDC mule had trouble and ran into pretty bad chipping issues or broken blades. Also a lot had issues sharpening the mule. Those that dropped the mule on hard surfaces ended up with broken knives. The mules seemed to be dull for everyday regular use. When I started using mine it felt dull to the touch.

Instead of sharpening the knife first I used it for the purpose that I imagined I would use it for and that was in the kitchen. It turned out to be the perfect knife for vegetables and fruit. Even though it felt dull to the touch it slices right through fruits and vegetables with ease. Interestingly the fruits and vegetables don’t stick to it like they would with a steel knife. I also use it on lettuce because it doesn’t cause the lettuce to turn brown like a steel knife will if you don’t eat all the lettuce and put it back in the fridge. I use it on a wood cutting board and I have not seen any perceivable chipping or dulling as of yet.

I have not had to sharpen it yet but when I do I have a “very fine” DMT diamond sharpening stone that I will use. I have not tried it on meat but i’m thinking I should try it on meat, especially fish.

I don’t let my wife touch this one at all since she is gifted at dulling any knife she has ever touched. It’s mine and only mine. Hope she doesn’t read. She is a forum member but checks in rarely.

Hope this answers your questions.

[bob-atlatl]

my (rabbit) food .. with AEB-L mule.

[VandymanG]

Doing my first knife scales. I used Canary wood and have done 95 percent of the work with hand tools and sandpaper. Not done just yet but will be finished very soon.

[Jeb]

Never messed with any Canary wood before, looks great. Just don't leave the tape on very long and wipe down the blade with an oily rag often... unless you got one of the truly stainless Mules, but even then I like mine wiped like a firearm...

[VandymanG]

Never messed with any Canary wood before, looks great. Just don't leave the tape on very long and wipe down the blade with an oily rag often... unless you got one of the truly stainless Mules, but even then I like mine wiped like a firearm...

Nah I’ve used this tape before. Painters masking tape and photo tape are not acidic. Other tapes have acidic ingredients in them that create the rust or stains. I’ve had this tape on knives for a month at a time with no issues. I would recommend photo tape for the best results if you’re worried though. That being said I also tend to do knife maintenance with frog lube oil which once it dries and excess is wiped off the next day, tends to stay on and is not oily.

[Jeb]

I have not used the frog lube before, thanks for that info. Heck I use frog tape on stuff here, but regardless I won't leave it on very long...

[barnaclesonaboat]

Cleaning out the basement, cut at least 100+ linear feet of single and double-ply cardboard shippers down to sheet-of-paper-ish size, filling our huge recycle bin. I think I may have gotten 2-3x the volume of cardboard in there by cutting it down. K294 mule at ~10 degrees per side made the work an absolute pleasure. Even a broken down working edge at this geometry on this steel just lasers through this type of material.

[Jeb]

Man 10 dps is really sharp I am sure. Just have never thought about honing any of my Spyderco knives that freaking flat lol...

Was the Mule still sharp after cutting all that up?

[bob-atlatl]

more salad ..

[barnaclesonaboat]

Man 10 dps is really sharp I am sure. Just have never thought about honing any of my Spyderco knives that freaking flat lol...

Was the Mule still sharp after cutting all that up?

Still quite sharp! You know, I sharpened it that thin somewhat on a whim after reading someone's testament to narrow bevels and their longevity. Still the thinnest I've ever gone, and yes it did take quite some time to lay those shoulders back. It came up screaming sharp and was at the time my keenest mirror edge yet (free-hanging hairs jump into two pieces), but the edge has had interesting behavior. I lost that front-end sharpness/keeness after the first outing on a hike with a decent amount of wood whittling, but it has been essentially stable since then with the very aggressive and still supremely slicey edge. Scrape-shaves OK, but that's not really the sharpness I'm after with this one, I'm more focused on a work-forever ripper. And for that purpose, with this thin edge, it just eats and eats and eats cardboard... feels effortless! Another vote for the "geometry is king" crowd, I suppose.

[Jeb]

I have read several of the guys hone theirs like this. Sal, was one of the guys that I remember honing the bevels this flat.

I am sure it does take a minute to hone one from like a 17 dps bevel to 10 lol... I bet it does cut nice though.

[sal]

The great Cliff Stamp always promoted very thin edges with high toughness as being the ultimate geometry. May he rest in peace. Sure miss him.

sal

[barnaclesonaboat]

I have read several of the guys hone theirs like this. Sal, was one of the guys that I remember honing the bevels this flat.

I am sure it does take a minute to hone one from like a 17 dps bevel to 10 lol... I bet it does cut nice though.

Haha no doubt, a minute, more like a relaxed couple hours grinding on down (fixed system), drinking a NW IPA, and binging a recent season of Alone. Not sure I'd have appreciated the carbide volume without a distraction, ha.

The great Cliff Stamp always promoted very thin edges with high toughness as being the ultimate geometry. May he rest in peace. Sure miss him.

sal

Thanks, Sal. Cliff Stamp certainly has a reputation for wisdom in this industry, and after my experiences sharpening thinner edges over the past few years I'm delighted to say that thin+tough philosophy does make for very enjoyable and long-cutting tools in my experience, too.

[VandymanG]

Cutting up potatoes to make homemade chips with my HIC mule.

[Actinolite]

I have quite a few knives, but only compared to normal people--I don't have very many compared to the only actual knife collector I know.

As such, I have several knives for single purposes. So far, the *only* thing I've used my K294 Mule Team for is cutting up boxes and old garden hoses, and it has performed well. I really like the overall dimensions and especially the handle shape. It is very comfortable for me to use. As I've been using SE knives much more lately, I really want a new Mule Team SE, perhaps a Magnamax or possibly a 19C27--the 19C27 might make the better SE, although that depends on the serrations and on the final characteristics of the Spyderco version of Magnamax.

Okay. Maybe both, just so I can decide which works better as SE.